The Polaroid Flip, My Favorite Retro Instant Camera, Is Cheaper Than Ever

I emotion instant cameras because of really they thief maine slow down and beryllium imaginative without nan distractions of a phone. Holding a existent people besides feels grounding successful a screen-dominated age, which is why I deliberation a batch of group these days are drawn to them — and why models pinch old-school vibes for illustration nan Polaroid Flip make specified awesome gifts. It’s usually pricey, but coming you tin bargain nan Flip for $184.99 ($35 off) directly from Polaroid, which is its champion value to date. Amazon is besides trading nan camera pinch 2 packs of movie for $212.49 ($37 off), which marks a caller debased too.

Polaroid cameras offer nan astir charming, old-fashioned instant-film acquisition of immoderate I’ve tested, and nan Flip is nary exception. It sports a classic, retro-inspired creation pinch a flip-up lid and prints vintage-style quadrate I-Type photos pinch Polaroid’s iconic achromatic frame. Yet astatine nan aforesaid clip it’s sewage nan cleanable magnitude of subtle modern conveniences baked in, for illustration Bluetooth, USB-C charging, and a beginner-friendly companion app that lets you set saturation and exposure.

But what makes it really guidelines retired is its image quality, which outshines different Polaroid models successful this value range. The Flip has nan astir powerful flash of immoderate Polaroid camera, and paired pinch its unsocial sonar autofocus and four-lens hyperfocal system, it produces sharper, much consistently in-focus images than immoderate exemplary Polaroid offers astatine this price. You tin manually tweak exposure, too, and nan camera moreover sends warnings you erstwhile a changeable is apt to beryllium over- aliases underexposed. These are each features that spell a agelong measurement toward reducing nan number of wasted shots, which is adjuvant fixed I-Type movie costs a whopping $18.99 for conscionable 8 prints.

That said, nan instant camera’s not for everyone. Fujifilm’s cheaper Instax Mini 12 develops prints overmuch faster and looks much true-to-life while struggling little successful debased light. Still, nan Flip’s dreamy, vintage artistic has its ain appeal, particularly if you for illustration a much artistic, old-fashioned look.